Movies 2011 - Seen & Wanted To See
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- DirectorRon HowardStarsVince VaughnKevin JamesWinona RyderA man discovers that his best friend's wife is having an affair.Out 1/14/11; On DVD 5/3/11, Watched 6/11/11. Funny, Vaughn his usual funny stuff, a little more serious -- in a good way -- than trailer made it seem. Rate: 7/10
- DirectorRichard J. LewisStarsPaul GiamattiRosamund PikeJake HoffmanThe picaresque and touching story of the politically incorrect, fully lived life of the impulsive, irascible and fearlessly blunt Barney Panofsky.Out 1/14/11
- DirectorIvan ReitmanStarsNatalie PortmanAshton KutcherKevin KlineA guy and girl try to keep their relationship strictly physical, but it's not long before they learn that they want something more.Out 1/21/11. On DVD 5/10/11. Watched 5/20/11. Friends with Benefits was the better version of this story. Not bad here, but Natalie Portman character a bit too serious. Rate: 6/10.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsJim SturgessEd HarrisColin FarrellSiberian gulag escapees travel four thousand miles by foot to freedom in India.Out 1/21/12
- DirectorJohn WellsStarsBen AffleckChris CooperTommy Lee JonesThe story centers on a year in the life of three men trying to survive a round of corporate downsizing at a major company - and how that affects them, their families, and their communities.Out 1/21/11. On DVD 6/7/11, Watched 6/17/11. Great portrayal of the impact of losing one's job on successful men. Affleck does a great job. Chris Cooper is wonderful. Well-done film Rate 8/10.
- DirectorDennis DuganStarsAdam SandlerJennifer AnistonBrooklyn DeckerOn a weekend trip to Hawaii, a plastic surgeon convinces his loyal assistant to pose as his soon-to-be-divorced wife in order to cover up a careless lie he told to his much-younger girlfriend.Out 2/11/11. Saw at Legacy Place 2/18/11. Funny story. Brooklyn Decker gorgeous. Jennifer Aniston terrific. Adam Sandler who hardly ever acts does enuf to make his character likeable. Good lighthearted fun, Rate 7/10.
- DirectorMiguel ArtetaStarsEd HelmsJohn C. ReillyAnne HecheTim Lippe has no idea what he's in for when he's sent to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at an annual insurance convention, where he soon finds himself under the "guidance" of three convention veterans.Out 2/11/11
- DirectorJaume Collet-SerraStarsLiam NeesonDiane KrugerJanuary JonesWhen a man awakens from a coma only to discover that someone has taken on his identity, he teams up with a young woman to prove who he is.Out 2/18/11, Saw 2/25/11 at Wellfleet Cinema. A terrific thriller set in Paris, in which a must try to prove his identity, it seems, from con artists who've stolen it. Reminiscent of Frantic, maybe not quite as good as that but close, rate 7/10
- DirectorXavier BeauvoisStarsLambert WilsonMichael LonsdaleOlivier RabourdinUnder threat by fundamentalist terrorists, a group of Trappist monks stationed with an impoverished Algerian community must decide whether to leave or stay.Out 2/25/11
- DirectorGeorge NolfiStarsMatt DamonEmily BluntLisa ThoresonThe affair between a politician and a contemporary dancer is affected by mysterious forces keeping the lovers apart.Out 3/4/11. Saw in Sharon 3/11/11. Okay story. Not a big science fiction-y fan. All the time opening to pop into different times and places felt silly to me after a bit. Rate 4/10.
- DirectorJosh RadnorStarsJosh RadnorMalin AkermanZoe KazanCaptures a generational moment - young people on the cusp of truly growing up, tiring of their reflexive cynicism, each in their own ways struggling to connect and define what it means to love and be loved.Out 3/4/11. On DVD 6/21/11. Watched 1/25/12. Josh Radnor does nice job in his first film. Group of twentysometings trying to get their footing in careers in relationships. Fun, light film. Rate 6/10.
- DirectorEran RiklisStarsMark IvanirGuri AlfiNoah SilverA tragi-comedy centered on the HR manager of Israel's largest industrial bakery, who sets out to save the reputation of his business and prevent the publication of a defamatory article.Out 3/4/11, On DVD 11/8/11, Watched 7/29/12. This Israeli film offers a low-key but absolutely briliant story of an HR manager charged first with covering-up any scandal that could arise when an immigrant worker at his bakery is killed in a sucide bombing and then no-one identifies her body for days. Ultimately, he takes it upon himself to return her body to her home in a remote area of a poor, Eastern European country that's never identified. All the characters -- the muckraking reporter who follows, him, the worker's son who he hooks up with along are terrific characters, but the actor playing the leading gives an amazingly meaningful, touching performance. A wonderful film. Rate 8/10.
- DirectorBrad FurmanStarsMatthew McConaugheyMarisa TomeiRyan PhillippeA lawyer defending a wealthy man begins to believe his client is guilty of more than just one crime.Out 3/18/11. On DVD 7/12/11. Watched 10/20/11. McGonaghy does great job. Ryan Phillipe a good scary client. Fun thriller. Rate 7/10.
- DirectorGreg MottolaStarsSimon PeggNick FrostSeth RogenTwo English comic book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51.Out 3/18/11. On DVD 8/9/11. Watched 9/10/11. Great silly, dopey film. The down-to-earth raunchy counterpart to the holy sweetness of ET. Seth Rogen is hilarous as Paul's voice. Rate 7/10.
- DirectorTom McCarthyStarsPaul GiamattiAmy RyanJeffrey TamborA struggling lawyer and volunteer wrestling coach's chicanery comes back to haunt him when the teenage grandson of the client he has double-crossed comes into his life.Out 3/18/11. Saw at Dedham Community, 4/2/11. Favorite movie of the year. A Rocky like story with a kid at the center. Paul Giamatti great as the loser who suddenly finds more purpose in his life coaching this lost kid who is a phenomenal wrestling talent. Rate 9/10.
- DirectorNeil BurgerStarsBradley CooperAnna FrielAbbie CornishA mysterious pill that enables the user to access 100% of his brain's abilities transforms a struggling writer into a financial wizard, but it also puts him in a new world with many dangers.Out 3/18/11, On DVD 7/11/11
- DirectorFrançois OzonStarsCatherine DeneuveGérard DepardieuFabrice LuchiniA housewife and grandma takes over the family business 1977, after her husband is hurt during a strike.Out 3/25/12
- DirectorDuncan JonesStarsJake GyllenhaalMichelle MonaghanVera FarmigaA soldier wakes up in someone else's body and discovers he's part of an experimental government program to find the bomber of a commuter train within 8 minutes.4/1/11
- DirectorJason WinerStarsRussell BrandHelen MirrenJennifer GarnerA drunken playboy stands to lose a wealthy inheritance when he falls for a woman his family doesn't like.Out 4/8/11. Saw at Sharon Cinema 4/16/11. Took daugher, who wanted to see. One of those why did anyone feel need for a remake. Russell Brand funny, but far short of Dudley Moore standard. Script is dopey. Rating 3/10.
- DirectorFrancis LawrenceStarsRobert PattinsonReese WitherspoonChristoph WaltzJacob takes a job as an animal caretaker in a traveling circus. There he meets Marlena, a beautiful circus performer. Their shared compassion for a special elephant Rosie leads to love, but Marlena's cruel husband stands in their way.Out 4/22/11
- DirectorBen HickernellStarsJosh HopkinsRachel KitsonIan Merrill PeakesWill (Josh Hopkins), a charming 35-year-old Philadelphia ad man, heads to Lebanon, Pa. to bury his recently deceased father. He forms an unexpected friendship with CJ (Rachel Kitson), his bright, newly pregnant 17-year-old cousin. As Will becomes interested in CJ's married teacher (Samantha Mathis) and CJ confronts her conflicted father, both struggle with formidable decisions about the path their lives will take. Can we vault our differences and meet in the middle? This bittersweet comic drama tenderly explores the cultural divide in America through the lives of one extended family.Out 4/29/11. On DVD 6/28/11. Watched on Netflix streaming 1/27/12. Absolutely loved this movie. A slow-paced character study. All actors do amazing jobs. Josh Hopkins is a great male lead. His face says so much without words. Rachel Kitson does great job as his teenaged-neighbor battling her own issues. Rate 8/10.
- DirectorLuke GreenfieldStarsGinnifer GoodwinKate HudsonColin EgglesfieldFriendships are tested and secrets come to the surface when terminally single Rachel falls for Dex, her best friend Darcy's fiancé.Out 5/6/11. On DVD 8/16/11. Watched 9/24/11. Yes, most rom-com's are formula, but it's a question of how well do they execute the formula. This one does a nice job. Fun & light. Ginnifer Goodwin does a great job. Kate Hudson's spirited, motormouth is the same character we've seen too many times, but still a decent flick. Rate 6/10.
- DirectorMassy TadjedinStarsKeira KnightleySam WorthingtonEva MendesThe story follows a married couple, apart for a night while the husband takes a business trip with a colleague to whom he's attracted. While he's resisting temptation, his wife encounters her past love.Out 5/6/11
- DirectorPaul FeigStarsKristen WiigMaya RudolphRose ByrneCompetition between the maid of honor and a bridesmaid, over who is the bride's best friend, threatens to upend the life of an out-of-work pastry chef.Out 5/13/11. On DVD 9/20/11, Watch 10/11/11. Supposedly a ground-breaking movie because it has women do gross-out comedy previously reserved for men. Once you get past that it's a pretty routine movie. Melissa McCarthy is breakout-funny, though. Rate 6/10.
- DirectorDan RushStarsWill FerrellRebecca HallChristopher Jordan WallaceWhen an alcoholic relapses, causing him to lose his wife and his job, he holds a yard sale on his front lawn in an attempt to start over. A new neighbor might be the key to his return to form.Out 5/13/11. On DVD 9/6/11, Watched 10/15/11. I normally can't stand Will Ferrell in his goofy comedies. He does the same great acting job here that he did in 2006's Stranger Than Fiction. Great to see him extend beyond what playing the standard obnoxious, obtuse character he plays in almost every other film. A great story about a man ready to give up when he loses his job and his wife leaves him. Rate 9/10.